23. Chapter 23

Chapter twenty-three

"Are trying to get rid of me?"

O n Saturday morning, Gage again woke up to the smell of food cooking. This time, it smelled like bacon. He breathed it in. "I could get used to this."

During the week, his mornings consisted of a cup of coffee before leaving the house. Then breakfast at the café or the Ambrose Tavern. Sometimes he'd eat there. Other times he'd get it to go and eat at his desk at the office. On the weekends, he'd eat cereal and milk. It worked for him and he'd been doing it since he moved into the house.

As children, they rarely ate cereal. Delaney always made breakfast for them. Gage assumed that was why he and most of his brothers ate cereal now. It was an ill-perceived notion of missing out on something. When in reality, they were lucky to have a mother who cared enough to make them a hot breakfast every morning. Especially since she went to the restaurant after feeding them and cooked all day.

His ribs still hurt, and he took two pills before getting dressed and going out to the kitchen. Even though he offered it to her, Sydney had insisted he sleep in his bed while she took the couch. He slept well and felt rested.

Sydney was at the stove frying bacon. Another pan had scrambled eggs in it. He came up beside her.

"Are you trying to spoil me?"

"Just taking care of you, boss."

He took a piece of bacon from the plate she was putting them on, then poured himself some coffee.

She glanced at him. "How did you sleep?"

"Good. I didn't wake up at all. How was the couch?"

"It's very comfortable."

He nodded. "Not as comfortable as the one in my office. But I've slept on it quite a few times. Or woke up on it in the middle of the night."

She filled two plates with bacon and eggs and brought them to the table. "You look better today."

"I feel better. In fact, if you wanted to go home. I think I'd be fine."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No. Not at all." He nodded toward his plate. "I guess I'd starve if you left."

"Yes, you would. So I'll stay." She picked up a piece of bacon. "We'll see how you are tomorrow evening. I might go home then and let you have cereal Monday morning."

"Fair enough."

"Mayor Bessler called me this morning. He said he's been trying your number, but it goes right to voicemail."

Gage looked at the counter where he usually kept his phone when it was charging. It wasn't there. "Actually, I have no idea where my phone is."

"Do you think you had it on you Thursday morning?"

"If I did, it's lying in the snow out there."

"Oh, no."

"Can I see your phone?"

"Sure." She handed it to him.

He dialed Cooper's number. "Sydney?"

"No. Gage."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. I'm fine. Did you find my phone on me Thursday?"

"No. It wasn't in your pockets. Did you have it on you?"

Gage leaned back in his seat. "I'm assuming so, because it's not in the house."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to come help you look for it?"

"No." He glanced at Sydney. "Sydney and I can go out later and dig around a little. Not that it matters. It won't be working."

"Alright. Let me know if you need help. Not just with your phone. With anything."

Gage thought about seeing the tree last night, and what he wanted to do with it. "Actually, I'd love for you and Cabe to come saw that tree into firewood."

"Of course. Yeah. We'll do it this afternoon."

"Thanks. It's kind of hard to look at."

"I imagine it is. So don't go out there and search for your phone. We'll look for it when we take care of the tree."

"Thanks."

"See you in a bit."

Gage handed Sydney's phone back to her. "Would you like to take another walk this morning?"

"Yes. If you're feeling up to it."

He picked up his fork. "I am. We'll go down by the creek. But we'll take the long way and avoid the tree."

"Do you have a camera you can bring?"

"Good idea."

While they ate breakfast, Gage told Sydney about his house and what it had looked like when he first moved in. It was one room and very rustic. When they were done with the meal, Gage offered to help her with the dishes, but she made him sit at the table with a second cup of coffee.

He watched her. "I actually like doing dishes."

"Good to know. When you're better, I'll gladly let you do them."

"I'm seriously fine. I feel bad you're staying." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Like I said before, it's not that I want you to leave. I just feel guilty. You probably have better things to do. "

"There is nowhere I'd rather be, Gage."

She finished the few dishes, then they dressed warmly and went outside. Gage brought a camera in case they saw anything picture worthy, and they followed the road past his house to where it ended. Then they cut over to the creek through a stand of trees. It was fairly level ground. And the snow had continued melting, with only a couple inches in the areas the sun hit the ground.

As they came out on the far side of the trees, Gage took Sydney's hand. "Is this okay?"

"Yes."

He glanced at her. "I told you I'm not very good at this."

"You're doing fine."

When they got to the creek, Gage was ready to sit down. He brushed the snow from a log and they sat. He put a hand on his injured side. "It's weird how you don't think about all of these muscles until they're hurt. Then every move you make reminds you they are there."

"Do we need to go back?"

"No. I just need to sit for a few minutes." He took her hand again. "Your hands are cold. Give me the other one." She put her other hand in his, and he put his hands on either side of hers. "Does that help?"

She nodded. "Tell me about growing up with five brothers and a sister. It must've been crazy."

"It was at times. Holidays were crazy. I guess they still are. But there was only a five-year period where we were all at home. Corbyn is thirteen years older than Clementine. When he left home at eighteen, she was three years old. Then Remy left. Two years later, Cooper started riding bulls and was gone every summer. I'm glad we're all back in town. And now, the babies are coming."

"Have you seen Raphael yet?"

"No. I'll go see him on Monday." He sighed. "I guess I should put this out there. I never really thought about being a husband and a father. I figured I'd stay single like Uncle Rand." He turned and looked at her. "I'm not saying I don't want that. I'm saying I just never saw it happening."

"I understand. So it's not a definite no way no how?"

"No. It's not."

"Okay."

He smiled at her. "You're way too understanding. This can't be easy for you. I know I'm not the guy you dreamt of when you were growing up and writing in your diary."

Sydney laughed. "I never had a diary. I had journals. But I wrote stories in them. Not my childhood secrets."

"What kind of stories?"

"Short stories. Slice of life vignettes, I suppose."

How did he not know she was a closet fiction writer? "I'd like to read them."

"The journals are in a box in my parent's garage in Seattle."

"Do you still write, other than for the paper? Fiction rather than news?"

"Sometimes."

"Then I'd like to read that."

She shook her head. "I'd be embarrassed."

"Why? You're a great journalist. You know how to spell and put sentences together."

"That's technical stuff. Relating facts. I'm not sure if I can actually tell an interesting story when it comes from my head."

"Let me read some and I'll tell you."

She smiled. "You would. You'd tell me the truth."

"Isn't that what you'd want?"

"Yes. But it'd still be scary."

"Will you think about it?"

She nodded. "Yes." She moved her hands to the outside, putting hers over his. "Now your hands are cold."

"I'm sorry I how I acted, or I guess didn't act when you kissed me on Valentine's Day. I was caught off guard. You surprised the hell out of me."

She put her forehead on his shoulder for a moment. "I'm not sure where it came from. I surprised the hell out of myself."

He looked at the ground for a moment. "Do you suppose we could try it again? I promise to take it better this time."

She cocked her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure." She nodded, and he leaned in close, hesitated a moment, then kissed her. When he moved back, he smiled. "There we go. That wasn't so bad."

Sydney laughed. "That wasn't bad at all."

He took the camera out of his coat. "We need a picture."

"Of me? No." She covered her face.

"Yes. Of you." He moved her hands and put a finger under her chin. "You're beautiful."

"Gage."

He stood and moved a few feet away. "Don't look at me. Look at the creek. Or the sky. And don't think about the fact I'm pointing a camera at you."

"That's kind of hard to do."

"Relax."

Sydney took a deep breath, then turned her head and looked at the creek.

"There you go." He took several pictures as he moved around her. "Absolutely gorgeous."

"Me or the creek?"

"Both."

She looked at him. "You do have a lot to learn."

"How so?"

"If you're trying to woo a woman, it's always her, not her surroundings."

Gage shrugged. "I love nature. What can I say?"

"Say, I make nature more beautiful by being in it." She laughed, and he went to sit next to her again.

"I'm not really a whisper sweet nothings kind of guy."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"I guess not." He grinned. "You want me to say it, don't you?"

She put her arms around his neck. "Yeah. I kind of do."

"You make nature more beautiful—"

She interrupted him with a kiss.